Lost My Heart at the Line
by CallMeAddicted
Summary: In a world deplete of magic, one queen formally known as evil will battle the forces of "good" to reclaim her rightful place.
1. That Old Blue Magic

**AN: This is not very canon compliant; I guess you could think of if as sometime after Neal is born, but not compliant with recent events. Although I really like the newest version of Regina that Once has come up with. She might make an appearance ;) Please review and follow!**

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Broken, confused and helpless, she half sobs and half sneers at her accusers. Hurtful as it may be, she'd expect the betrayal from those who stand before her: the princess, her once stepdaughter turned friend, Snow White; the hopelessly devoted champion called Charming; the pontificating gnat called Blue, and the mindless sycophants that leech off their every word. The small crowd that gathered behind the Charmings includes the one-handed pirate – giddy with glee at her misfortune – and the ever-present dwarves, who'd no doubt follow their leaders to their demise. She looks on at the group and feels betrayal, for she'd fought alongside them for so long now and yet they see fit to excommunicate her for crimes which have not occurred. But that betrayal is slight next to the outright pain she feels when she looks beyond the crowd, to the woman and the boy who won't even be bothered to get out of the yellow, metal death trap to see her off.

"How dare you stand here and accuse me of such a thing?" her voice hoarse with anguish.

Snow moves closer to her, menacingly closer. "I dare because I have a family to protect. You know exactly what you've done, Regina. The least you could do is muster up some of your old audacity and own up to your offenses!"

"I've done nothing!" She looks around at each face in the crowd of heroes but none of them are moved by her words. Regina glances out to the yellow car where Emma and Henry sit, Emma looking down into her lap expressionless and Henry glancing out of the window unperturbed. She's confused as to why they don't defend her, why they don't even look in her direction. She thinks for a moment that they must truly believe she's done this evil, horrible thing. Regina turns her attention back to Snow and Charming. "How is it you can trust me with your child's safety one day and the very next accuse me of plotting to harm him? Are you so fickle minded?"

"We saw what you tried to do to him!" barked David.

"Have you hijacked Pongo's distorted memories once again?"

"We saw what you did, and this time there can be no mistaking it." The prince turns to the crowd of onlookers. Gossip had quickly spread through town of the scene unfolding at the town line; the size of the crowd had doubled. "The Blue Fairy has revealed to us the crimes of Regina Mills against Prince Neal!" He turns back to face Regina. "You are charged with treason against the crown."

Gasps and whispers are heard through the crowd. The ex-mayor looks to the Blue Fairy and sees nothing but wrath and hatred in her eyes. It's then that she begins to panic. It's then that it sinks in that these people truly mean to banish her from her own town. "Show me," she spits out. "I want to see what it is I've been accused of. If you could show them," Regina points to Snow and David, "then show me. Now!"

"You have no place making demands," Blue coolly states.

"Show me!"

The fairy looks to the Princess and Prince who nod their consent. Blue makes a performance out of twirling her wand and conjuring her magic, and moments later a blurry image begins to play out before the crowd. It soon focuses and against a backdrop of thick white smoke, Regina is seen standing in the Charming apartment, a crying baby Neal in her arms. She stands with him calmly as he wails and raises her hand above his head. Regina makes a flourish of her hand movements and thick, black magic begins to swirl around the baby's head. In the crowd, expressions of shock and fury are heard. As the black swirl begins to dissipate, baby Neal's eyes close slowly and he appears still in Regina's arms. The queen grins to herself and chuckles before whispering to the baby, 'I always win.'

It's at the very end of the vision that Regina spots Ruby Lucas running down the road, making her way toward the crowd. She'd parked to the side and run the rest of way, just catching the end of what appeared to be a drive-in movie in the middle of the road. Their eyes meet for a second; Regina is standing with her back facing the orange painted line, facing off against Snow, Charming and the rest. Looking around the crowd, she sees Ruby scan for someone who can explain just what in the hell is going on. She spots the bug, but doesn't make an attempt to go near it. Ruby pushes her way to the front of the crowd.

"That didn't happen," Regina stutters.

"So you're accusing the Blue Fairy of being a liar?" Snow questions.

"I don't know if she's a liar or a fool but that did not happen!"

David, tense and unyielding, demands, "Did you or did you not use magic on our son?"

For a moment Regina doesn't know what to say. She's somewhere between bewildered that they're back to their old ways and enraged that no one has yet questioned the blue beetle's intel. "I did not use _dark_ magic."

"But you used magic on my son." Snow has the nerve to glare at her in disappointment. "Regina, how could you? After all the chances we've given you? We trusted you!"

By this time, Regina can't control the tears pouring from her eyes, egotism be damned. "Why have you not questioned your supposed ally? How is it she can _spy_ on me, twist the truth and present it to you on a silver platter without you questioning her motive in all this?"

"What would she have to gain? Why would she lie to us, Regina?"

"I don't know!" She wipes furiously at the tears. "I don't know, but that vision was not truthful. What you think you saw is not what happened!"

"Blue," Ruby steps up to the fairy, "were you there when this happened?"

The nun smooths out her clothing and takes a moment before looking up directly into sharp, audacious eyes. "I've long suspected Regina of plotting against the royal family. And to unsuspecting eyes, she's appeared to have turned over a new leaf. Admittedly I remained concerned and I began to magically surveil her. True to her ways, she did not disappoint."

"Fuck you, Blue," Regina spits.

The fairy replies evenly, unaffected, "You truly are your mother's daughter."

Regina tries to find it in her to hit back, but she can't. She glances in the direction of the bug hoping for backup which is not likely to come. Ignoring the jeers of the crowd closing in on her following the proclamation of her sentence for a crime she did not commit, Regina frowns noticing that neither Henry's nor Emma's positions have changed. They've neither looked in a different direction nor shifted their bodies since this whole madness began minutes ago.

The alarm must show on her face because the werewolf catches the direction of her gaze and turns to see what Regina is looking at. This time though, there is something different about Emma and Henry. There's magic. A small wave of irrefutably blue fairy magic ripples in the blonde's eyes. Regina's stomach sinks as she turns to the waitress, who has undeniably seen it too, judging by the look of horror on her face.

Before either woman can do anything, the pirate aided by three dwarves move to hustle the queen over the orange line, as ordered by Prince Charming.

Ruby tries – she tries to make them see reason. But she's outnumbered – the dwarves warning her not to be drawn into the queen's lies. "It's not true, she's changed! You all know it! You've seen her do good!" She's being held back now by the remaining dwarves, who threaten to throw her over too if she insists on siding with the enemy. Ruby sees them all differently now. She doesn't manage to break free.

"Emma! Emma you're under a spell! Snow!" she struggles to keep herself on the side of the line the rest of her family is on. "Snow, don't believe it, she has them under a spell, dammit! Henry!" Her screams are useless; her family will never hear her and will probably never even know what took place today. She fights. It takes Charming's magically enhanced sword and a few more fairies to back her right up to the edge of the line for just enough time for Blue to blast her back about twenty feet. Regina can feel the magic recede within her. She gets up to run but by the time she makes it back to the border, the blue wall of magic has gone up. It's powerful, that much she can tell.

Regina glowers at her former friend, her ex-stepdaughter, the mother of her secret fiancé, and releases all her rage in a primal scream. She punches her fists against the invisible wall to no avail. She tries to appeal to Snow's more sensible half just one more time. "Snow, please don't do this. The Blue Fairy has not been honest with you; you don't know what she's capable of! Please!" In one blink of an eye the border's magic completes itself and she can no longer see the people on the other side.

For her part, Snow barely even blinks an eye at the accusation against her trusted advisor, Blue. She does however shed one single tear and not a single one more.

Blue comes to stand at Snow's right side, both women looking out onto the seemingly empty road before them. "Let's wrap this up, Blue."

"Of course, Your Majesty."


	2. Broken Anniversary

**AN: Thanks to those who have faved and followed. I appreciate it. There's room on this ship for more faves and follows :) Also, feel free to review. I like reading thoughts and opinions. I don't like reading negative thoughts and opinions, but I will read them too.  
**

 **I know in canon, Cruella's dead. But she's not here. Just go with it.**

 **Enjoy!**

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It was silent – silent, except for the crunching, slurping and clanging of silverware on porcelain. It was grating to say the least and each crunch, slurp, and ping caused Emma to clench her jaw tighter. But she held it in.

"So Henry, I couldn't help but overhear that your friends invited you out. What movie are you going to see?" Snow was her usual chirpy self, even at seven fifteen in the morning.

The boy seemed more interested in the way his cereal danced when he stirred the spoon. "I don't really feel like going."

"Why not? It sounds like fun. If you need a ride I can drop you off and pick you up. Since your mom's working this evening – "

"Like I said, I don't feel like going," he replied once again.

Though she seemed to at least get the hint that he wasn't in a talkative mood, Snow persisted. "I know you're still sad Henry, but at some point you've got to make a choice to be happy again." Though tears began to fill his eyes and he angrily wiped them away, Snow persisted still. "It's okay to be sad and to miss someone you cared about, but it's not okay to stop living – "

The brunette's words were cut off by the commotion when Emma throws her spoon into her uneaten bowl of cereal. "If he doesn't want to see a damn movie, he doesn't have to." Emma sat up from her seat so hard the chair fell back. "Get your things, Henry," she said.

He stood from the table, not bothering to clear his breakfast like he normally would, and moved to the apartment door to put on a coat and get his backpack.

"Just so we're clear," the blonde spoke in a low tone to her mother, "you don't get to tell my son when to get over his pain or when he should move on."

"Emma, I'm trying to help him. I'm trying to help you too. The two of you have been impossible to live with ever since – "

"Ever since she _left_?! Yeah, we've been impossible, so what? We're not allowed to wallow in self-pity every now and then? Are we too dark and broody for the Charming Family holiday greeting card? We lost someone. Henry and I – we're hurting and you won't even try and understand."

Snow shook her head and took a long look at her daughter. Emma looked back at her. She didn't really have to wonder what was going through her mother's mind; most likely it was the same thought going through her mind. _When did it all go to hell?_

Emma shook her head and turned to leave. She almost made it out of the door when her mother's too cool voice halted her.

"Emma?"

Turning to see the other woman and hear what she had to say, Emma answered, "Yeah?"

"You're right about one thing…"

"What's that?"

"She _left_. To her, you weren't worth sticking around for, and so she left you."

It hardly seemed like Snow to make such callous and statements, but since the day Regina chose to leave her family behind, Emma had been feeling the disconnect between her parents in herself as well. It hurt to hear her own mother throw her deepest insecurity in her face. And with that, Emma turned to really leave, slamming the loft door behind her.

She ushered her son down the stairs in a hurry (more like dragged him), both mother and son red-eyed and weary. On the way out of the building, they bumped into David, who was on the way home from working overnight at the station.

"Hey," he offered a smile.

Neither spoke to him, only looked at him, leaving him to wonder what had the two so spooked. He shook it off and clonked his tired, boot-clad feet up the stairs. It was too early for this.

* * *

The bell atop the diner entrance rang, announcing Emma's arrival. She looked around briefly at the watchful eyes on her and didn't offer up even a polite nod to Storybrook's citizens. She just wasn't in the mood for graciousness today. The sheriff walked over to the counter and leaned against it. There was no need to bother with sitting down or taking off her coat; she'd been an avid supporter of takeout the last few months.

"Hey, gorgeous," Ruby smiled her thousand watt smile. The waitress carried a plastic bag with Emma's takeout. "You want some company today? I can take my break early?"

Smiling back at her friend and confidant, the blonde shook her head. "Sorry, just feel like being alone today."

"You're not going to go do something stupid like try to put yourself under a sleeping curse or throw yourself in front of Cruella's car?"

Emma laughed a tiny bit, and quickly trained her lips to straighten back out; it honestly hurt to laugh, even just that little bit. "No. I promise. Besides, I have Henry. I would never leave him."

She appreciated the smile Ruby gave in return of that statement. It was like a hug. It was sad and a bit pitying – although she couldn't really blame Ruby for pitying her – but it was more hopeful and encouraging. And promising. She found it hard to accept the promise in her friend's smile, but she wanted to. It's just that after experiencing the biggest broken promise of her life, how could she accept it and still protect what was left of her heart?

Taking the bag of takeout, Emma reached for her wallet but Ruby stopped her.

"It's on me Emma. Just for today anyway."

Emma arched her eyebrow. "A pity meal?"

"Think of it as a broken anniversary present."

Emma didn't laugh.

"Too soon?"

"Yeah, too soon Ruby." But she cracked a small smile anyway. "You're a jerk. But thanks for lunch." Then she headed out. The bell atop the diner entrance rang, announcing Emma's departure.

After getting in her car, Emma sat still for a few moments. She thought. Today was December 16th. If everything had gone according to the original plan, she'd have been married today. When they'd first begun dating, it was kept a secret from the cloying public and more specifically, her pushy parents. Other than them, the only one privy to the new development was Henry, and that happened completely by mistake. They had discussed telling him, and actually were planning on telling him soon, but he'd come to the realization in his own epic, life-altering way. Neither of them ever spoke of it again.

Next they'd gotten engaged. It started off as a joke. Not that they couldn't imagine marrying each other, but they'd been joking around when Emma had decided to make it official. And so, they'd planned on telling Emma's parents next. A dinner was planned. Rings were bought. Then it all went to hell, and didn't come back.

She started the engine and made a u-turn on Main Street, headed toward the outskirts of town. After driving for several long minutes, Emma stopped the car on the side of the lonely road that lead in and out of Storybrook. She eyed the border wall; it glimmered in the winter sun. She didn't know what exactly made her keep coming back here. It's not like she'd ever see anything past the wall as it was re-enforced with ancient fairy magic to not only keep the outside out, but to keep the inside in. But she came back every day.

She reached over to the passenger seat and carefully removed her lunch. Biting down into the chicken Caesar wrap, Emma eyed the glimmering wall some more. And then, mid-chew, it clicked in her mind why she came back to this place day after day to stare at an invisible wall that she had no hope of seeing past. She came back to find something.


	3. Happenstance

**AN: Happy Thanksgiving! I had a spark of genius if I say so myself and introduced a new character. I hope you all enjoy! Thanks for the faves, follows and reviews. Please leave more!**

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Regina placed her beverage cup on the table and proceeded to slip into the booth behind it. There was a notepad and a pen in her hands, which she also placed on table, and undid the buttons of her blazer. The garment fell past her shoulders and she pulled it the rest of the way off, folding it and resting it in her lap. She began to write.

 _'Dear Emma and Henry'_ the letter stated. Regina paused and thought about what should come next. She also thought about how she would even get this letter to them, considering the magical wall that would block out anything from the outside world. Her eyes went to the hotel insignia at the top of the stationary paper: Courtyard Marriott. She glanced around at the other guests milling about the cozy hotel café and briefly wondered how long it'd take anyone back home to discover the few city accounts linked to various departments which were basically façades for her personal emergency funds. She wouldn't survive out here long without those funds.

Regina took a sip of her hot tea and continued her letter. Well, she tried to continue her letter but paused again, pen hovered over the page, when a red haired woman innocuously slid into the seat opposite her.

"Excuse me, I wish to be left alone. As there are plenty of other available tables, I'm sure – "

"Regina Mills?" asked the woman as she slid her sunglasses from her face to the top of her head.

Regina stiffened and eyed her company. "Who's asking?"

The woman reached into her back pocket and pulled out a credit card, sliding it across the table toward Regina. "You left this at the counter. I forgot my wallet in my room, so I used it to buy coffee." As if on cue, a server brought over a steaming mug of what appeared to be cappuccino and placed it in front of the red-haired woman. "So thank you," she said to Regina before taking a sip of the warm drink.

Steaming almost as much as the cappuccino, Regina made to speak (or yell) but the other woman interjected.

"When you're done, follow me back to my room and I'll reimburse you."

"Forgive me if I think this sounds like a scam to get me alone in your room so you can either rob me or murder me and hide my body under the bed. I think I'll cut my losses. And you're welcome, for not having you arrested for _stealing_ my credit card." The brunette placed the card inside her purse, scoffing at the ridiculousness of the last several minutes. She'd be much more angry about the situation if her mind weren't occupied by more pressing matters. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to be left alone."

The strange woman didn't budge an inch, nor did she seem to be affected by Regina's dismissals in the slightest. "You here on business or pleasure?"

"Is this some horribly inept attempt at flirting? If it is, then please, go no further."

"You're writing a letter, It's 2017. Why not just send a text, or an email, or phone call, or Snap for that matter? So you don't have access to any tech or these people you're writing to – Emma and Henry? – don't have access to any tech."

" _These people_ are none of your business! I don't even know you. What is it that you want from me? If you don't tell me within the next five seconds, I swear – "

"Natasha," she holds out her hand for Regina to shake. Of course, Regina doesn't shake.

"What?"

"The truth is I found your credit card, used it for coffee because I left my wallet in my hotel room, then came over to return the card to you and apologize for using it. But now I'm intrigued."

"What about a woman sitting in a hotel café writing a letter in 2017 intrigues you?"

"Everything."

Relaxing her body into the booth, Regina sipped her tea and studied the woman across from her. For a few long moments, they simply drank and appraised each other. Finally Regina spoke.

"Emma is my fiancée. And Henry is our son. Today would be the day we were to be married." She focused on swirling the remainder of the tea in her cup.

"I don't get the feeling that they're dead, especially because you're writing a letter to them. Unless you make a habit of writing letters to dead people…" Natasha smirked and tilted her head a bit, earning a reluctant smirk in return. "So why are you not with them?"

Just as Regina was about to respond, Natasha's phone rang. It was a very utilitarian ring tone; she answered after just one ring.

"Speak… And we're sure this is it?... Let's meet up at base; I'll bring the key." She hung up and looked at Regina with a slightly apologetic smile. "I'd really love to chat more, maybe we can meet up later? I'll come find you. Room 333 right?"

Regina didn't know whether to be shocked or afraid as the woman recited her room number so casually then stood up and prepared to leave. So she just nodded her head in agreement.

With that, the red head was off; she walked with purpose and confidence. As she left the hotel through the glass front doors, Regina could see her make her way to the side parking, which faced the café. Watching as the mysterious stranger mounted a red and black (kind of menacing looking) motorcycle, Regina got the feeling that this happenstance meeting was the beginning of an important chapter in her story.

* * *

The water flowed from the shower head, creating thick steam in the room. Regina arranged her personal items on the countertop; she'd amassed a good amount of soaps and gels and lotions in her time here at the hotel. It wasn't ideal – it wasn't like being in her own home, in her own bed. But she hadn't been willing to look for a permanent residence, determined to make her way back home to her family. She hadn't been willing to go as far as Boston or New York the way the residents or Storybrook always seemed to do.

As she removed her robe and stepped into the shower, she closed her eyes and thought about that last day – how she only seemed to have one ally, one person who hadn't been so easily fooled by the fairy. Ruby, though the curse had dramatically suppressed her intellect, was always one of the more open-minded, sensible members of the royal council. Perhaps she could count on her to whisper words of wisdom to Snow and David. Perhaps if she could find a way to make contact, she could even have a friend on the inside.

The brunette washed, and then spent more time just standing under the hot spray, allowing the pulse of the water to relax her neck and shoulders. She sighed, feeling that most of the tension had loosened up, and turned to shut off the water.

When Regina stepped out, the thought crossed her mind that the woman she'd met earlier said she would come by later, but didn't say how much later. So she hurried to dry off and moisturize her skin.

"What does one wear to meet with a virtual stranger to talk about who knows what?" she quietly asked herself. Considering the cold weather outside and not knowing whether they'd venture out, she decided on a tunic length sweater and dark denim. Not long after she zipped her boots did she hear a soft knock at the door. Smoothing her clothes of any kinks, she looked through the peep hole and opened the door for the red head.

"Regina," the other woman greeted. She seemed a little flustered – a little unfocused. She wore the same clothes as earlier, only now Regina noticed a tear in the sleeve of her leather jacket and her hair was a bit out of place. It appeared there were some leaves at the back of it.

"I thought it might be a good time for dinner," Regina said while carefully observing her slightly disheveled visitor. "Perhaps you'd care to join me?"

"Yeah, I could eat."

Regina turned to grab her phone off of the dresser and pocketed the device. She shut the room light and exited. Natasha spoke up.

"Don't you need a purse or wallet or something?"

"Oh no," the queen coolly replied. "Dinner's on you," she commanded and proceeded to strut down the hall to the elevator.

"How is dinner at all equivalent to coffee?" Natasha objected. "I only owe you like three dollars."

"It's the principal. No one steals from me," she grinned at her new friend the way a predatory cat might grin at a mouse stuck to a trap.

The elevator doors opened and the women entered. As Natasha pressed the button for the first floor and the doors closed, Regina's phone rang. Grabbing it from her pocket, she looked down at the image of her son on the screen; she quickly made to answer the call, but heard nothing on the other end. She frantically called Henry's name and asked if he could hear her, but the call soon dropped. "Dammit!" she yelled.

She knew the odds were pretty much none that a call would make it from Storybrook to the outside world, and even slimmer were the odds that a call could make it the other way around. But it _had_ made it through, if only for a moment. She didn't know how Henry had done it. But there must have been a way. She grabbed onto the small hope that her son was working on an operation of some sort and placed that hope deep down in her heart. If he was fighting for them, she would fight twice as hard.

Natasha watched from her corner of the elevator as a storm of emotion passed over the brunette's face. She was now more intrigued than ever to figure out this woman's story.


	4. The Girl in Room 339

**AN: It was a long time since my last update - I blame it on the holidays and adulting. Sorry about that. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It's not heavy in action, but it's important to lead up to the major conflict in this story. Thanks for all who are reading, following and "favoriting." I appreciate it. As always, reviews are welcome and encouraged!**

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The last hour had been spent eating dinner at a burger joint a few blocks from the hotel. It wasn't a bad walk – just under ten minutes to get there. It was around fifteen minutes waiting to be seated, another fifteen of being served their drinks and placing orders, then twenty eating. Although for Regina's part, that last twenty was spent nibbling and pushing food around her plate wondering how her companion could literally inhale a half pound steak burger and basket of fries and still look like a pin up model. _She must have a seriously grueling workout regiment,_ Regina thought to herself.

Regina had actually chosen the restaurant; she thought maybe a good burger would in some way connect her with Emma and provide some sort of inspiration. Instead, it just gave her serious case of nausea. After all, she really wasn't a big red meat eater. But nausea aside, her thoughts had been occupied by questions of what her son might have been up to and how he managed to get a phone call through the powerful barrier placed around the town. She wondered if he had help, and if so, who. She hoped it would have been Emma, but if Emma was still under the spell, then it's entirely possible that –

"You gonna finish that?" Natasha interrupted.

Regina looked up to the woman in wonder. "How can you possibly have more room?"

"I have a really physical job. Lots of running and diving and I get very hungry." She reached across the table and claimed Regina's leftovers for herself. "So your son tried to call you. The call dropped. You haven't tried to call him back. Why?"

"It's complicated…" Regina tried to leave it at that, but the piercing look the redhead gave her was enough to tell her that she would try to get the information out of her one way or another. Just then, the brunette thought about putting up pretenses, then decided to throw caution to the wind. "Natasha, do you believe in magic?"

Regina eyed Natasha as she mentally debated the idea then replied. "Well I believe in complex quantum physics; I believe in aliens; I believe in ancient mythological gods; so magic? Why not?"

The brunette smirked. "What exactly is it that you do?"

"I fight crime." She answered innocuously. "I catch bad guys and – get rid of them."

"Police?"

"No."

"FBI?"

"No."

"CIA?"

"No, again."

"Shield?"

That caught the redhead off guard; she paused, not sure how to answer.

"I read comics – for my son. He enjoys them and I enjoy finding ways to connect with him, so I read comics. And I've seen just about every super hero movie made in the last ten years. Still, I'm very surprised to find out that the people these comics and films are based on are actually living in this world at the time their stories are being written. How is that possible?"

Deciding there's no point in denying it, Natasha responded. "The comics and movies and t.v. shows: their all produced by S.H.I.E.L.D. as a distraction. They figure if people view us as fictional heroes who are part of a fictional organization, it's less likely that they'll discover the truth of it all. Of course certain situations and events are fabricated for entertainment purposes."

"Of course."

"So when did you figure me out?"

"Just a few moments ago. I guess the average person wouldn't have a reason to suspect that they're eating dinner with a character from a world of superheroes, but where I come, that's just everyday life," Regina ended with a kind of reticent laugh. "I just put a few details together and it seemed to make sense: the red hair, the mysterious behavior and phone conversation, the motorcycle…"

Natasha nodded, "You said 'where I come from.' Do you come from some place where there are superheroes? Is it Gotham? Metropolis? Are those real cities?"

Now Regina actually laughed. "I don't know if they are real cities or not, but I have no evidence to the negative. I come from a city called Storybrooke, Maine. _It_ technically does not exist on any map, so who's to say if there's a Gotham or a Metropolis?"

"And what's special about the non-existent Storybrooke, Maine?"

Not sure how much she should share, Regina looked around the restaurant, then back at her dinner companion. She didn't have Emma's gift of lie detection (which wasn't even all that accurate), but she had been a queen for years and mayor for decades after that and she could smell a disingenuous person from a mile away. Despite all her mystery, Natasha came across as sincere and genuinely interested, so Regina decided to share. "We're all story book characters, dear."

* * *

He hadn't felt like going back to apartment after school. It was just that – _the apartment_. It wasn't _home_ like the mansion. Even though technically Emma and Henry had lived in the apartment, they'd began staying over many nights at Regina's home, especially on weekends when they'd do family things together. After he'd discovered their relationship, the sleepovers became more frequent. To the rest of Storybrooke and to the Charmings, it was just out of convenience that the two stayed at Regina's after a family dinner or late night at the movies. But Emma and Henry knew they were basically slowly moving in.

So he sat in his old bedroom, trying in vain to make a call connect to a phone number belonging to a phone located outside of the barrier. He needed answers. He needed to know why his mom had suddenly left, because being the Truest Believer, he simply believed that the woman who had promised to always be there for him would never just leave him the way she did. And being the Truest Believer, he simply _couldn't_ believe the memories of that day at the town line where the Blue Fairy showed everyone in attendance a scene where his mother seemingly used dark magic against his baby uncle. It just wasn't like her. Sure, the actions were like the Regina of the past, but that was all her carefully crafted façade. It wasn't really, truly _her._ Likewise, the woman in the image using dark magic on Neal wasn't Regina. But who would believe him over the Blue Fairy and his grandmother, Snow White, who insisted that it was the truth?

He heard the heavy oak door slam open and the heavy footsteps of his mother coming upstairs before she shouted out, "Henry?!"

Henry walked to the door of his bedroom and opened it. Outside stood Emma, who was just about to open the door, herself.

"Oh, hey," she said. "Your grandparents called and said you didn't come home after school. What are you doing here?"

He shrugged, "I don't know, just didn't feel like being _there_."

"Yeah, I know what you mean…" she replied. Eyeing the phone in the boy's hand, Emma thought to say something about it, but decided against. "You want to order some takeout?"

"Chinese?"

"Yeah, sure. Go find a menu."

As he walked downstairs, Henry had a thought: he needed to get to the barrier. Maybe if he got closer to the outside world he could manage to get a call through or maybe a text. Maybe somewhere along the border there was a weak spot that he could take advantage of. He resolved to skip classes the next day – this was way more important.

* * *

Back at the hotel, Regina approached her room, Natasha following behind. "I know you're this planet-protecting, superspy, but I'm perfectly capable of getting back to my room on my own."

"I know. I'm on this floor also."

"Oh," Regina said. "I hadn't realized."

"I was only here a few days, and I haven't spent much time in my room anyway."

"When do you leave?"

"I'll head back home tomorrow, spend a short amount of time in my apartment in solitude, then back out to the next adventure as soon as the agency calls me."

"Sounds exciting."

"You know, I have a spare bedroom. I'm hardly ever home, so I think I'm a good roommate. I know you've been here at the hotel for a while, but if you want a more permanent place, you're welcome to come with me."

"And just where is your home?"

"New York."

Regina hesitated. "I never anticipated on going that far. I'd be leaving Henry and Emma…"

"I'll help you find a way back home, but until then, it's a comfortable room in a nice apartment with a trustworthy roommate."

"Who says I trust you?" the brunette smirked.

Natasha conceded. "Well if you change your mind, give me a call."

"I don't have your number."

The spy called over her shoulder as she walked toward her room, "Yes you do; I put it in your phone." She entered a hotel room a few doors down from Regina's, leaving the hallway empty, save for the ex-queen.

Regina unlocked her phone and opened her contacts. She looked under 'N' for Natasha, but didn't find it, so she went back to the beginning of the list and slowly scrolled down, looking for any new entries. Finally she came to an entry that read 'The Girl in Room 339." She laughed to herself and entered her own room, the door slowly closing behind her.


	5. The Tree With the Rock

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It was quite the town mystery when one day Rumpelstiltskin disappeared seemingly into thin air. The way this town worked, it was very likely that he'd disappeared literally into thin air. At a complete loss for explanation, Belle had enlisted to help of the heroes to try to solve the mystery of where he may have gone and by what means. The heroes had been unable to figure it out on their own and they had enlisted more help in the search – The Blue Fairy. She'd done some investigating and came to the conclusion that his exit from Storybrooke had been by portal. To where and when the portal dropped him, she was unable to conclusively say; furthermore, whether his exit was by choice or by force, she was unable to conclusively say. Much to the librarian's dismay, it seemed that her True Love was simply gone, without a trace.

Despite convincing the heroes of this story, Blue was unable to sway Regina so easily. After all, she'd probably known the imp far longer and far better than just about anyone currently in Storybrooke, and she'd made the very good point that Rumpel would never leave Belle behind by choice; and even on the off chance that he did, he would have at least left his love a note. Judging by his history alone – and corroborated by Belle – he had always provided some sort of explanation as to what he was doing and why. So for Rumpelstiltskin to leave Belle by choice and not explain or at the very least say goodbye, was far outside of character for the little man. Therefore Regina had not believed in Blue's provided explanations. This made her a liability.

Blue had been quite aware of the frail and shaky alliance between Regina and her former mentor. They had both been on the somewhat straight and narrow for a while and were of the understanding that there was no more reason to be on opposing sides of the "fight for the greater good." Blue was also aware that despite any animosity between the two former rivals, they'd also had a weird friendship of sorts and it wouldn't be long before Regina had launched an all-out investigation in the Dark One's disappearance – if not for him, for Belle, whom Regina had regarded as in innocent party in the feud between Rumpel and herself. The fact was that Regina had become a problem for Blue. And problems needed to be resolved. It was that simple.

The fairy was sitting at a booth inside Granny's diner, reflecting on the events of the past several weeks. The pieces of her plan were finally coming together. She'd removed the last of the threats to her operation and had effectively silenced the Charmings. Emma was for sure powerful, but on her own, not powerful enough to stop what she had in the works. The honest truth was that Blue was aware of the true combined power of Emma's and Regina's magic. They were True Loves. It was a sad fact that they were not, themselves, aware of the true nature of their love and their combined power. Sure they'd known they could perform great works of magic together, but they lacked the awareness of what they could truly do. And awareness of one's own ability is everything.

As she looked up from her silent musings, the fairy nun became aware of a sharp, knowing set of eyes on her. She turned toward the counter and locked eyes with Ruby. The young wolf looked deeply at her, never wavering. She got the sense that Ruby suspected something of her; they stayed connected with one another for a few moments longer. Then Blue looked away. She couldn't waste precious time worrying about the younger woman. Whether she suspected foul play or not, there was nothing much she could do. Ruby would never get Snow and Charming to betray her, not when she essentially had them by the scruff. And even if she managed to recruit the Sheriff, there wasn't much the two could do to stop the kind of magic she had in store for Storybrooke.

So she gathered her purse and left a few bills on the table. She proffered a pretentious smile in Ruby's direction and exited the diner, the bell ringing loudly above the door as she walked out.

* * *

At the town line, Henry figured, was where he'd be best able to send a message. The town line stretched along the borders of Storybrooke and there was a wide painted orange line trailing through the woods off each side of the main road. He typed out his message and entered the recipient: _'Mom.'_ After pressing down on the 'send' key, he immediately got a message back – _'This Message Failed to Send. Retry?'_

He walked slowly along the border and stopped a few feet later. _'Re-send.'_ The same failure message came back. So he repeated the process – walked a few feet, stopped and re-sent.

* * *

As Emma drove her bug closer to the town line, she spotted him in the woods walking very closely to the edge of the border. She drove closer and parked the car. Getting out, she quietly stepped into the forested area and confirmed it was Henry, apparently skipping class, and holding up his phone as if trying to get better reception. So she quietly walked closer toward him.

"You getting anything?" she calmly asked as she came to stand right behind him.

Startled, the teenager turned to face his mother. "I can explain – "

"Yeah, I'm gonna want to hear why you're cutting school to spend time in the woods," she crossed her arms over her chest and stood waiting for his explanation.

"How'd you know I was here?"

"I stopped into the diner for lunch and Ruby told me she saw you walking down Main Street mid-day when you should have been in school. Then she saw you turn down the main road and walk toward the border."

"Guess I wasn't as subtle as I hoped," he tried to laugh it off.

"Nope; Ruby sees, hears, and smells everything. Now spill. What are you doing out here?"

"We need to find Mom. Something weird is going on and I don't think she just left us like they want us to believe. She wouldn't do that. She wouldn't leave me!"

"Henry – "

"No, listen! You said you remembered that day at the line but that you remember it weird – like if you were watching it happen instead of actually being there. That's how I remember it also, that's weird right?"

"Yeah. So what do you think is going on? You think she's in trouble?"

"I think there's something Grandma and Grandpa aren't telling us. And I think the Blue Fairy is shady as shit."

"Watch your language! I don't want your mother somehow finding out that I taught you to talk like a pirate. She'll kill me. Then you. Then me again."

"The shield around the border is stronger than before. So it's really hard to get a phone call or message to someone outside of Storybrooke. But I tried to call Mom last night – "

"What? Why didn't you tell me? Did you get through?"

"I got through for a second. I heard her, but the call broke up to quickly. I haven't been able to connect since."

"So you're thinking it's possible there's a weak spot. Somewhere along the border, there might be a weak spot where you can exploit and maybe send a quick text."

"Yeah."

"Let me see the text," she reached out for the phone to read what he had written. "It's a little too long, Henry. If the goal is find a small weak spot and get the message out quickly, this would be too big in size."

"What should I write?" He took the phone back and deleted the message. His fingers hovered above the screen waiting to transcribe a new message.

"Let's keep it simple, okay? Use abbreviated text, even though she hates that. How about, 'We think something's up…where are you…we miss you…E and H…"

He typed as his mother spoke and then turned the phone toward her to review the message. It looked more like _'Smthngs up, where r u? We miss u, E &H.'_

"Yeah, that's good. Now let's see if we can find a good spot."

He began his process of walking a small bit then trying to send. After a few moment, Emma interrupted.

"Hey kid, where were you when you called your mom last night?"

"I was in my old room, just before you got to the house. Why?"

Emma began turning and calculating and plotting. Facing away from the line she said, "Okay, so town center is that way," she pointed, "and the mansion would be over in that direction," she pointed in a different direction, "then maybe we should head to the part of the border closest to home?"

"Home? The apartment or home, the mansion?"

"Mansion, kid. That's home."

They waste no time running through the woods, headed toward an area that might be directly in line of home. Emma pulled out her own phone and opened the GPS app she had previously installed on all their phones. She looked at the map of Storybrooke and saw that the little red dot that indicated where they currently stood. You could draw a straight line from their current location to the mansion.

"Okay, so in theory, if there's a weak spot in the wall, and if you were able to connect a phone call in your bedroom last night which faces this direction, then we might be in a good position."

Emma opened a new text message on her own phone and entered the recipient, _'Madam Mayor.'_ She wrote the same message that Henry had written into his phone. "Okay, let's both try. Let's start in the middle. We'll move slowly along the line about twenty feet each. Whoever gets the message off first yells out. Got it?"

"Got it."

Once ready to begin, with little to no space between them, they each hit 'send' at the same time.

Henry held his phone out at varying heights and changed position every one or two feet. Emma did the same, but in the opposite direction. They kept their intervals very small. If there was a break in the magic, it probably wouldn't be very big.

About half an hour into the mission, Emma was becoming tired and frustrated. He shoulders were sore with the amount of stretching and raising she was doing. She wanted to cry. It seemed like the Blue Fairy had really outdone herself on this border. She'd only had about three feet left to go. Henry had already finished his distance and had no luck. At this rate, it would be near impossible to figure out where a possible break might be located. So she double tapped on the message and selected to option to re-send. The phone asked her to confirm whether or not she wanted to re-send the message. With all her hope and love, and a little magic, she desperately wished that this would be the spot. She whispered out into the ether, "Please get this message, Regina?" She hit 'send.'

For a long moment the wheel turned on the screen, indicated the phone was working on something. The wheel was turning longer than it had in the last hundred attempts to send. She began to hope that that meant something good. She intently stared at the phone, willing it to work in their favor. Glancing up at the invisible border, Emma could see what looked like a glimmer. The glimmer shone slightly stronger, but for only half a second. She wasn't sure if Henry had seen it; she wasn't even sure if she had really seen it. She looked down at her phone and the wheel was gone. Beside the message, a tiny check mark appeared. She double tapped on the message and selected the option for additional details. It informed her that the message had been delivered.

Emma looked up at a hopefully afraid Henry, "It worked."

He allowed a grin to grow wide on his face. "It worked?"

"It freaking worked! You're a genius!"

Running over to his mother, Henry nearly knocked her over with a celebratory hug.

"Hold on, careful Henry. We should mark this spot so we know where to come back to."

"How do we mark it where no one sees the mark?"

They both thought for a moment before Emma reached into her pocket and pulled something out. She pulled out a pocket knife and knelt down to the spray-painted orange line. She used the knife to cut a very small sliver of the grass away, leaving the tiniest gap in the painted line. It was not really noticeable unless of course you were looking for it.

"Good one, Mom!"

"Now we just have to remember how far we ran from the edge of the woods." She looked around for any unique land markers they could use to identify the location. "There," the blonde pointed to a tree with a large rock next to it. "From the edge of the woods to the tree with the rock, then from that point it's only a couple of feet."

"This is just between us right?"

"Right."

The sound a branch breaking caused both mother and son to jump, and they turned quickly in the direction of the sound.

"Well actually between the two of you and me," Ruby delivered a wolfish smile. "You have my word that I won't tell a soul, but whatever your plan is, I want in."

Turning toward Henry, Emma said, "This is between us and Ruby." She turned to Ruby, who nodded in agreement, then back to Henry, who was smiling from ear to ear. "Okay then…"

* * *

 **Getting closer to revealing Blue's dastardly plan, Regina's plan to fight back and the Charmings' role in all of this. Review, fave and follow! I appreciate everyone reading.**


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